MSI Announces World's First Gaming Laptop with Mechanical Keyboard

For too long, fans of gaming laptops have had to settle for Chiclet-style keyboards, which can be a crapshoot when it comes to key travel and actuation. MSI is hoping to change that with the launch of the GT80 Titan, the world’s first gaming laptop outfitted with a mechanical keyboard. Packing a SteelSeries gaming keyboard with Cherry Brown MX switches, MSI is planning to target players looking for a high-performance rig that they can take on the go.

While we tend to favor Blue switches, Brown switches are no slouch. Brown switches offer great tactile feedback compared to Red switches, which tend to feel more linear. To help gamers get the most out of their shiny new keyboard, the GT80 Titan will also tout an enhanced SteelSeries Engine with CloudSync. Similar to Razer’s Synapse software, players will have the ability to create custom profiles, including lighting configurations, and save them to the cloud and synchronize with from another laptop.

MORE: The Best Gaming Keyboards You Can Buy

But as great as the keyboard sounds, we can’t overlook the notebook it’s attached to. According to MSI, the Titan will be the world’s thinnest and slimmest gaming laptop when it launches, at 17 percent thinner and 22 percent lighter than its closest competitor. Unfortunately, MSI is keeping spec details such as processor and graphics card under wraps, but if that dragon etched on the upper deck is anything to go by, we’re expecting a beastly configuration.

The company is also keeping mum on pricing and availability details, so it’s unlikely that gamers can expect the Titan for the holidays. We expect to hear more about the GT80 by the time CES 2015 rolls around, so stay tuned.

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SuperTooth Announces 15-Hour Bluetooth Headphones

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Sony Announces Xperia SP and L Smartphones, Set For June Launch

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Samsung Announces the Galaxy S4: ‘A Companion For Life’

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Samsung Announces Galaxy Player 5.8

Think the 5.3-inch screen on the Samsung Galaxy Note is gargantuan? That’s a pipsqueak compared to the massive screen found on the newly announced Samsung Galaxy Player 5.8, the latest iteration of Samsung’s Android-based, iPod-esque media and app player. The new device will join the 3.6-inch, 4.0-inch. 4.2-inch and 5.0-inch models already available as part of the Galaxy Player lineup.

The larger screen doesn’t bring a big leap in sharpness along with it, however. While the Galaxy Player 5.8's 960×540 display is a step up from the Galaxy Player 5.0's 800×480 VGA resolution, it is still far from high definition, especially over such a large expanse. By comparison, the iPod touch has a much smaller 3.5-inch screen but still manages to squeeze in a superior 960×640 resolution.

That being said, previous iterations of the Galaxy Player were capable media devices with features you won’t find in the iPod, such as expandable memory and a removable battery. Stereo speakers, a VGA camera, Bluetooth 4.0, a 2,500mAh battery and either 16GB or 32GB of internal storage round out the Galaxy Player 5.8's hardware, while the software is bolstered by the inclusion of Android 4.0 ICS and Samsung’s shiny new TouchWiz update — both firsts for the Galaxy Player line. Wi-Fi and GPS are also on board, as you would expect.

The translated announcement doesn’t offer much else in terms of specs or availability details, but given its timing, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Samsung Galaxy Player 5.8 show up at IFA 2012 alongside the Galaxy Note 2 and Samsung’s teased Windows 8 hybrid tablet.

Via Engadget

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T-Mobile Announces $50/Month European Roaming Plan

When you’re traveling overseas on business, there’s at least one part of the trip that’s invariably a hassle to arrange: a steady and reliable Internet connection. And it looks like T-Mobile got this memo, yesterday unveiling a new cheap and affordable solution for businesses. The “Open Europe” plan is only $50 a month and provides customers with unlimited data roaming, though its caveat can be gleaned from its name: the service will only be offered in 28 European countries. Additionally, only the first 500MB will be “full-speed data.”

Launching later this month, T-Mobile’s Open Europe plan offers 3G and 4G data speeds (depending on coverage) at the aforementioned $50 flat rate. By comparison, Verizon Wireless offers a 100MB international data plan for $25, with every additional 100MB of data costing you another $25. That’s probably just enough data to quickly check your email, browse the web, or check for Facebook updates. Verizon’s international data plan is available for all Verizon Wireless subscribers outside the US in 120 countries, including all of Europe, South America, the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada.

On AT&T, data global add-on packages can be had for $30, $60 or $120 a month, and these net you 120MB, 300MB and 800 MB respectively, with the overage priced at $30 for every surplus 120 MB of data used. One month minimum is required for the plan, and it services countries as far out as Tajikistan and Slovenia. The full list of countries and carriers can be seen on att.com/globalcountries.

So at least in terms of plain affordability, T-Mobile surpasses Verizon Wireless and A&T, which both offer a unit value of $4/MB. It is worth noting, however, that if you only intend to use the carrier’s high-speed data (throttled after 500MB), T-Mobile’s unit value shoots up to $10/1MB of high speed. Interested users can look for more information from the carrier’s official press release.

T-Mobile via Engadget

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Lincoln Announces Online 24/7 Concierge Service, iPad App

The process of purchasing a new car can be strenuous. There’s hours of research, traveling to car dealerships and doing battle with swarmy car dealers. Lincoln is attempting to make the process of purchasing and maintaining a Lincoln a little smoother with their new online concierge service. 

The service can be accessed through Lincoln’s website and will provide a personalized walkthrough of Lincoln products and vehicles. Users caa also create a portfolio with customer preferences that can be shared with the dealer. The portfolio can be accessed from multiple devices including laptops, smartphones and iPads. Consumers can also grant a chosen Lincoln dealer access to the portfolio to better assist them in finding their perfect car. 

In addition to the 24/7 service, Lincoln also announced an iPad for Lincoln dealers to better assist consumers. Similar to the conceirge service , the app will help dealers navigate through vehicles and specific features to better assist consumers. The app will also quickly compare competitor prices.

Both services will kick off in 2013, just in time for the launch of the 2013 Lincoln MKX.

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Fujitsu Announces Ultrabook Lifebook; First Ultrabook with 4G/LTE (Video)

Fujitsu wasn’t exactly the star of the show at MWC last week in Barcelona, but here in Hannover it’s looking to make a bigger splash. At its press conference today, the company announced the addition of an Ultrabook to its Lifebook line, and it’s not just the company’s first Ultrabook–it’s the industry’s first 4G/LTE-enabled Ultrabook.

The Lifebook Ultrabook sports a 14-inch frameless display and connectivity via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in addition to 4G/LTE. Security features include fingerprint authentication and TPM. And, fitting its Ultrabook classification, the notebook weighs less than 3.2 pounds and is 16mm thin at its slightest point.

(What we neglected to mention in the hands-on video below is that the bottom of this notebook seems to feature a port for docking, which would make sense given this notebook’s business-friendly features.)

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Nokia Announces Budget-Minded Lumia 610 Phone, New Apps

Not content to rest on its Windows Phone laurels, Nokia rolled out a new budget-minded Windows Phone handset, the Lumia 610, at Mobile World Congress today. At a press event, Microsoft rep announced that it has lowered the system hardware requirements for Windows Phone to allow just 256MB of RAM and slower processors so as to allow less-expensive handsets like the Lumia 610.

Designed for a  younger audience, the Lumia 610 has a finely-beveled metallic edge and a great metallic white, cyan, or magenta casing (we particularly like the cyan). Nokia says that Windows Phone 7 features like the People hub and integrated Xbox games will appeal to younger audiences. A new app called Nokia Transport will allow users to plan a route using public transportation like subways or buses and pin those routes to the live tile.

The company hasn’t released specs for the Lumia 610 yet, but we’ll update this post when they become available. Rumors have pinned the screen at 3.2-inches and the camera at 3-MP. The phone will cost 189 Euros unsubsidized when it launches this spring. Undoubtedly that will add to up to a very low contract cost in the U.S., perhaps even free.

The company also announced Nokia Reading, a new software function for Lumia phones that provides localized book and magazine options, along with a Flipboard / Google Current-like feature that turns your news feeds into a rich, magazine-like experience. It’s also providing an update to Nokia Drive that allows better route calculation. 

As of today, a beta version of Skype will appear in the Windows Phone markeplace for all users, allowing them to make VoIP calls on their phones. 

Users who’ve been pining away for the Lumia 900 in countries outside the U.S. won’t have to wait much longer. Nokia CEO Elop announced that the Nokia Lumia 900 will launch on Rogers’ LTE network in Canada. The company also announced the Lumia 900 will come to a number of other countries around the world that don’t have LTE yet, but do have DC-HSPA+ networks for enhanced speed. A rep also said it is bringing Lumia phones to the Chinese market.

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AT&T Announces Samsung Rugby Smart: A Ruggedized Android Phone with 4G

We certainly see a fair share of ruggedized laptops, but Samsung wants to make sure the handset in your pocket is well protected, too. Today AT&T announced the Rugby Smart, an Android 2.3-powered smartphone that’s engineered to withstand extreme temperatures, dust and submersion in up to 1 meter of water.

The Rugby Smart will be available for $99.99 starting on March 4th, and while the phone runs the slightly outdated Android Gingerbread, it runs on AT&T’s 4G network. Other choice specs include a full QWERTY keyboard, a 3.7-inch Super AMOLED display and a 5-megapixel camera with an integrated flashlight.

Samsung backs up the Rugby Smart’s tough-guy pedigree with this durability test video. Check it out and tell us if the rugged benefits make it worth the older Android OS.

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Barnes & Noble Announces 8GB Nook for $199, Same as Amazon Kindle Fire

Barnes & Noble announced that it would release an 8GB Nook tablet, and priced it at $199, the same as the Amazon Kindle Fire. As well as having half the amount of storage as the 16GB Nook (which will remain at $249), the 8GB Nook will also have half the amount of memory: Just 512MB, as opposed to the 1GB of RAM in the 16GB Nook. The Kindle Fire also has just 512MB of RAM. 

What also remains to be seen is how much space will be available for users on the 8GB Nook; based on our experience with the 16GB Nook, we’re assuming that there will be 5GB of free storage, but only 1GB of that will be available for non-B&N content, such as photos and videos. However, the Nook does have a microSD card slot for additional storage.

The drop in price could help even the playing field between the two tablets, which are in a tight race with each other to win the enhanced eReader category.

To avoid a price war with its own products, Barnes & Noble also announced it was dropping the price of its Nook Color eReader by $30 to $169. 

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Tesla Announces All-Electric Model X with Wing-Style Doors, Touchscreen Console

If you’re going to make an all-electric car, why not give it a wicked-modern design to go with that forward-thinking fuel approach? That at least seems to be Tesla Motors’ modus operandi with its just-unveiled Model X crossover. In addition to its eco-friendly pedigree, the X rocks wing-style doors, which Tesla calls Falcon Wings.

Back to the Future-style doors aren’t the only high-tech features this car has in its favor. The center console has a huge display for the car’s infotainment system and climate controls.

Tesla says the Model X will start around $50k, though TechCrunch estimates that the fully configured model (largest battery pack and all) will top off at about $90k. Production is set to start in 2013, with models hitting the market the following year, but you can reserve an X of your own now.

via TechCrunch

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